The Move More lesson from this week left me with three distinct thoughts, which then combined to become my revised strategy for the week…and, I hope for the rest of my life. And, it just so happens that they all end in “ate,” which seems appropriate for this program 🙂
They are:
- Concentrate
- Companionate
- Celebrate
And, yes…”companionate” is a word…I thought I was perhaps making it up, but, it wasn’t getting the “squiggly red line” under it when I typed it, and I looked it up, and it means just what I wanted it to mean: “relating to or in the manner of companions.”
So – back to the 3 “ates” related to MOVE MORE.
1. CONCENTRATE
As I reflected on the Move More lesson and looked in the participant magazine, I began to see that simply stating a strategy such as “Play more” or “Add more physical activity into my day” was not really enough. Just as I need to “ be mindful” of what I put in my mouth and how I plan my menus and meals, I also need to think through the ways I will play, add more general activity, and exercise.
I am a TO DO List kind of gal. So, I found it helpful— in fact, necessary — to make a “to do list” of sorts as I thought through ways to get more general activity (walking as well as some climbing), as well as some accelerated “real” exercise and strength training.
This is what “concentrating” got me, in terms of weekly “To Do List”:
a) Get More General Activity Daily
8 K a day of steps (which includes general to and fro walking during the day, disc golf (photo A) walking the dog, walking in place during class, and when on phone calls with my mother and sister)
Re disc golf: if you haven’t heard of or ever played disc golf, you might want to look into it. It’s basically a “walk in the woods” with the added twist of playing a game of “par 3 golf” with discs that you throw into baskets.
Here’s a link to learn more: http://www.discgolf.com/disc-golf-education-development/what-is-disc-golf/. In addition to being really fun, almost all the courses are free!
b) Get at Least 2 hours of medium to high level aerobics
Aim for 30 minute segments of things like Nordic Track, volley ball or badminton, “running disc golf,” and Power Walks or “Jog-walks”
c) Put in 30 minutes of strength training ( 5 x 6 minutes)
Here is my routine now, six weeks into the class:
| 5 knee (girl) push ups | plank for 45 seconds | ||
| 2 regular (boy) push ups | 10 chair dips | ||
| 20 crunches | 10 curls (both arms), with 2 pound weights | ||
| boat pose for 15 seconds | 10 straight-arm lifts (with 2 pound weights) | ||
| 20 leg lifts (10 on each side) | 5 squat thrusts |
And, speaking of “concentrating,” I found that I needed to “concentrate” on what I am doing, especially with the strength training, to make it really worth while.
- COMPANIONATE
I almost put “challenge” or “compete” as this second strategy for successfully moving more, but I settled on “companionate,” in part because it is another “ate” word, but also because it is more descriptive to my purpose of encouraging others to walk, play, and exercise with me.
For my regular walking, my best companions are my dog (see photo B) and my sister-in-law, (taking the photo). I never realized until I got my Fit Bit last summer from my sister and daughter, just how much my dog loves to go on a walk with a leash. We live out in the country, and he is often outside on his own, but when I got out the leash, I could almost see him smiling; and now, any time I find myself thinking “ Oh, maybe I won’t walk today,” he senses my lack of resolve and starts barking at me until I put on my sneakers. And, if my sister-in-law is reluctant, too, then Oakie and I stand at her door and bark together, so that I will have someone to talk to, who will talk back in a language I can understand.
I find that when I challenge others to join me in various activities, to “compete” with me to achieve certain goals, I stay motivated and I try harder. Often, my companion in the activity is younger, stronger, better at whatever it is than I am, but that’s OK. As our instructor said last week in class — it is not about beating the other person, or doing better than the other person — it is getting stronger and better myself..by trying my darndest to do MY best every time.
An example:
All summer my husband and I played the “small pool game” of water volley ball in our above-ground round pool at our house. Every time — and I do mean every time — we played, he would “cream me” with scores like 11 – 0 and 15 – 2. But, we had some terrific volleys, and I jumped up and dunked balls and lunged for impossible shots, getting better and better every time we played. We both got a good work out, and we had great fun!
As I said to one of my Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less buddies the other day — It is not so much that I want to beat the person I play or compete with; it is that I want to “win.” And win I do, and so does my companion, no matter the score!
- CELEBRATE!
This last “ate” is my favorite one. I love celebrations, especially ones with prizes. The key, of course, when the goal of “Moving More” includes the ideas of “Eating Smart” and “Weighing Less”, is to find a way to celebrate that does not involve fattening food. The easiest form of celebration is cheering – which you can do in class with “Smiley faces” and “clapping hands” and encouraging words on the chat to anyone who expresses something he or she achieved the week before, that night in class, or in general.
Another way to celebrate — when it is someone you see in person or have a mailing address for — is to award “non caloric” prizes. Here’s an example.
About a year ago, my disc golf buddy (now one of my Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less buddies) challenged me to lose 10 pounds and she would do the same; we decided that whoever lost 10 pounds first would get a prize from the other person (and if we both lost the 10 pounds at the same exact time, we’d give each other a prize). For her, the prize was to be a new disc for disc golf; for me, a manicure. We were “on again, off again” a lot over the last year, but, when we each started Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less, we both got renewed energy to lose the weight. My buddy hit her 10 pound loss last week; see her happy face with her new disc in Photo C. I can assure you that I was grinning just as broadly as I took the photo and paid the bill!
Here are my notes from Lesson 6: Check the Facts.
Nutrition facts on labels are a good way to help you have healthy, balanced, and good -tasting meals and snacks. But, be sure to read them carefully…pay attention to serving sizes, fat content, and carbs. And also, be sure that you get enough nutrients. 5% or less of a vitamin means “low,” 20% or more means the food is a high source of that nutrient.
Try to buy whole grains, because they can help promote weight loss and prevent weight gain. But, be careful when shopping for grains and breads that you look for “whole grains,” not 100% wheat, multigrain, or “made with whole grain.”
Here are some websites with more information on the topic:
http://myeatsmartmovemore.com/NutritionLabel.html
www.wholegrainscouncil.org
HOMEWORK:
- Keep up with buddy (celebrate your successes!)
- Read those labels; pay attention to the serving sizes when tracking